This Saturday, Formentera welcomes Diverespai back to the island

Wednesday, 13 December 2017 14:22

The social welfare and youth services department of the Formentera Council reports that starting this Saturday, December 16, Diverespai is back on the island. The 2017 edition of Diverespai will run December 16-20, from 9.30am to 1.30pm and 4.00pm to 8.00pm. For three mornings starting December 18 the park will be reserved for local schools.

As social welfare councillor Vanessa Parellada put it, “if you are a child aged three to twelve, Diverespai is one of the best parts of Christmas”. Visitors to the installation, which is located in the courtyard of Marc Ferrer high, will not only find an assortment of activities and inflatable toys, they will also find a team of supervising adults.

ActivitiesGiant blow-up castles, animals and shapes adorned with staircases, nets and obstacles are arrayed across the park while attendants propose guided play, face-painting and arts and crafts.

Highlighting the role of those same on-site helpers, Parellada described Diverespai as somewhere “children can learn to play for the fun of it—where they can flex their imaginations and creativity through play.”

Youth plenary session

Wednesday, 29 November 2017 15:05

When participants of the Children's and Youth Participatory Council met today in the hall of ceremonies of the Formentera Council for their plenary assembly, the group appointed delegates from the island's trio of primary schools and high school. The council members in training retraced a November 20 “kids' parliament” session of the Balearic legislature focussing on two objectives from the 2030 Agenda: renewable energy and marine flora and fauna. Afterward youth services secretary Vanessa Parellada recounted developments in some of the petitions put forward in past plenaries.

Formentera celebrates children's day with month-long programme of sports, culture, fun and education

Tuesday, 24 October 2017 14:35

Vanessa Parellada, Jordi Vidal and Mónica Rey sat down today to announce details about the programme of events for Universal Children's Day. The island's secretaries of social welfare and sports and the Office of Youth Services' staff specialist gave a sense of what to expect on 20 November. For the past two years, the day has entailed a range of activities for children and teens on the island. It bears remembering that Formentera has been designated a Child Friendly City since 2014.

Sports-related activitiesFirst up, on Saturday, the Council will invite years five and six of the island's primary schools and local highschoolers to watch SD Formentera and RCD Mallorca face off from a youth area set up in the stands of the municipal football pitch. Secretary Vidal reminded residents that admission to the match will be free for youth under 12 and encouraged them to come out for the event. The sports don't stop there. Sunday, November 5, a family sports day will be put on at the Antoni Blanc fitness centre so residents can learn about the centre's programme and facilities. Then, the municipal pitch will host another round of sports days, this time during school hours, and November 27 an aerial acrobatics show will be staged from 4.00pm to 6.00pm at the sports facilities of Marc Ferrer secondary school (Poliesportiu Vell).

Children's parliamentOn November 20, representatives of Formentera's youth participatory council, or CPIJF, will take part in a session of parliament designed for children and titled “What kind of world do we want to live in? Looking at the Agenda 2030”. The day's session is presented by UNICEF with additional support from the Balearic Islands' office for the defence of the rights of minors. Then, November 29, the CPIJF will hold its own plenary session.

Theatre and showsThe first stage production will take place October 30. The Camut Band's “Big Drums” is for the student body of Marc Ferrer high school. Another theatre group, Xoc, will arrive on November 17 ready to present Formentera crowds with two shows: “Improaventures” will unfold in the Marià Villangómez library at 6.00pm and “Improxoc” in the Casal de Joves at 7.30pm. November 24 will be marked by a stage production dubbed “El molinet màgic” (The magic mill) in Formentera's cinema. The very next day at 6.00pm, cinema audiences can see Engruna Teatre's “Codi Postal 00,” part of the island's ninth festival of children's theatre.

Organised talksTwo talks for parents and teachers have also been included on the Universal Children's Day programme. The first, Una altra forma de relacionar-nos és possible (“Another way of communicating is possible”), will be led by Elena Sorribes from el Sol free school at 7.00pm in the Casal de Joves. The second is called Ciberassetjament (“Cyberbullying”), and will be given by IB Jove's Ajo Monzó at the same time and place.

Then, from 5.00pm to 7.00pm on November 9, a gymkhana has been organised to educate Formentera residents about issues facing minors with disabilities. More gymkhanas, including sports activities and fitness drills, are also scheduled for 5.00pm on November 16, 23 and 30. The activities will play out in the courtyard of Sant Ferran's primary school with the help of Formentera's youth counsellors.

Saturday, November 11 at 6.00pm, Íker Reyes will lead a cooking workshop in the Casal de Joves. On November 25, youngsters of the island are invited to come out for a bike ride aimed at promoting healthy habits. Register in advance at the Casal de Joves.

All November long, children of the island will have an opportunity to engage with patients of Formentera's elderly care centre in an intergenerational space.

Close of summer school, Council's catalogue of sports camps

Wednesday, 30 August 2017 20:15

The Formentera Council's Office of Youth Services wishes to announce that tomorrow, August 31, will be the last day of the island's summer school programme at the Sant Francesc, Sant Ferran and La Mola primary schools. In total, 170 children took part in the July and August initiative—Escola d'Estiu 2017—along with 21 youth workers and one programme director.

End-of-summer bashes were being staged today at the three schools, giving parents a chance to visit and see photo slideshows documenting their children's summertime activities. Other activities sought to spice up the final day with things like on-stage performances and dance routines. For the final day of programming tomorrow, all summer school participants will go on an outing to Cavall den Borràs beach. For two months, the summer school's organisers put together activities for kids from 3 to 14 (born between 2003 and 2013). Activities took place Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 2.00pm plus early-start option from 8.00am.

The goal, according to the administration's social welfare and youth secretary, was to “create a recreational and educational space for boys and girls in summer”, promoting the “intelligent use of free time and providing options for working families”. The secretary drew a correlation between very high rates of summertime employment and childcare needs.

Sports campsTwo sports camps, coordinated by the CiF Office of Sport, were part of an effort to extend summertime options for the island's youngest. One of them, dubbed “Athletics is fun” (Campus d'Atletisme divertit) and home to 42 runners in training ages three to six, also ends tomorrow. That end-of-summer celebration will take the form of a water party at the municipal pool. Guided by four youth workers and one aide, camp participants participated in explorations of motor skills, crafts, swimming, healthy living habits and the plastic arts.

The Council organised a synchronised swimming camp too, which was open to children born between 2003 and 2012 and ultimately provided acro sport, motor skills, dance, theatre and swimming activities to 103 children. Those activities, which conclude September 12, have been made possible thanks to the work of eight youth workers and one volunteer. Children in that programme took to the municipal cinema to put on their end-of-summer show last Saturday.

At summer schools and sports camps, 315 Formentera children in Council programmes this summer

Thursday, 06 July 2017 14:30

The Formentera Council's Office of Youth Services has reported on the start of the 2017 Escola d'Estiu, the summer learning programme held at the island's three public primary schools (Mestre Lluís Andreu, Sant Ferran and la Mola). One-hundred seventy children are enrolled in the programme, which is run by a staff of 21 youth workers and one head director.

Activities are devised for children aged 3 to 14 (born between 2003 and 2013). The programme unfolds weekdays in July and August from 9.00am to 2.00pm with early start available from 8.00am. The assorted activities programme will focus alternately on arts and crafts, fitness, games, music, dance, theatre and cooking. There will also be field trips to the beach and other outings like swimming.

The goal, says social welfare and youth services councillor Vanessa Parellada, is to create “a fun and educational space where children can spend summer and learn how to make productive use of their free time”. She also pointed to the importance, particularly on Formentera, “of being able to offer a resource for parents juggling work and family”.

Sports campsThe Council's Office of Sport is piloting two sports camps as a summertime option for young people. One of the two, synchronised swimming, is geared toward children born between 2003 and 2012. The 103 registered youth will get a taste of acrobatic gymnastics, cognitive and physical development, dance, theatre and synchronised swimming. The programme, which runs through summer's end, is managed by eight staffers and one volunteer.

The second of the two Council-backed summer programmes is an athletics camp. Forty-two children aged three to six will explore a host of topics, including cognitive and physical development, crafts, swimming for leisure, healthy habits and art. Classes, which began earlier this week, end on August 31 and are overseen by four staffers and one health and safety assistant.